Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-04-02
Hrttsn fog TIE Evxxue STAR
A MODERN MIRACLE.
BIZ CHARLES Stokes WAYNE,
Aufhork IAN April Hoax" Three Links, etc
copyright 1851

lam not nkely ever to forget the first time I
met Clement wynkoop Every detail of the meet
Ing though n has been ave years since It occurred.
Is srau wildly before me, and even now seem to
hear the brassy clangor of the tall old-fashioned
clock which stood In the BARRON OF the Eagle
Hotel st Berryvilie striking its ten noisy notes as
together he and entered the room that chill
November night, wink1ng and blinking at the sud-
den change from gloom TO glare. He was taller
than i, and apparently younge-. He did not look
20 be over thirty years Old and he was so slightly
built as To warrant one In describing him as thin
but he WAS not awkward by any means, and his
thinness seemed TO add to, rather than detracr
from, certain grace which appeared to be
natural TO him He was not a handsome man;
his cheeks were too hollow, his cheek bones too
high, and his large black eyes too deeply-set for
that-and there was over all an expression as II
mental or physical suffering had put It's mark
there-but his face gave indication of more than
ordinary intellectually. When the hotel register
was pushed towards him, he took up pen and In
small cramped hand wrote his name,
following It with the words: The Times.
Directly beneath his signature placed my own.
Philip Holt, and added the name OF the paper
which then represented, ne 1nSane. En n.n
bound on the same errand, however,-the report
Ing triple execution 1t was not odd that We
should thus meet; but 1t did seem somewhat
strange To me that Wynk0Op, though told that
the house was packed to the root, should object
room i remember that IL took good deal OF per-
uasion on the part OF the proprietor OF that some
what ancient hosiery before he would yield an
inch. and that myself had to put In word finally
and assure him that, ne had registered first, 1t
was 1 who would insist on making night OF It In
the streets OF the village, II he persisted In his
determination not TO fraternfZe. Then be apollo
g1zed, and said that 1t was for my sake more than
his own that he had objected. He was sOmnam-
bulist, he explained. and he had feared that he
might disturb nay rest by providing about the room
In bis sleep.
story apartment, with It's high-post bedstead at
one end, with a window bare of any pretenSe OF
s and eonoe y, o,er H. cSairS h a.
JWeen-we naturally fell 10 chatting Each had
many odd incidents OF journalistic experience TO
relate, and, as q matter OF course, our converse
ton included a resume Of the executions We had
Witnessed From these the rather threadbare
question OF repentance within the shadow OF the
gaIlows whether real or imaginary came up AT
that time was somewhat OF an agnoStic, and /
Was inclined TO rfdicule the idea that murderer,
who, throughout his life had been defying the
moral laws, could. when brought to face death,
wipe out all his past, and spring at one leap into
.God Is all powerful!" said Wynkoop, and he
poke 80 reverent!y and With such feeling, that
III there be GodY" suggested.
i had touched a sensitive cord His dark eyes
you doubt GODS existence !" he asked.
- dad nos say so.' be replied, "out there are
And there are many who make terrible,-yes,
fatal mistake he went on "There is Got, "a
God whooe power you cannot In the least cOmpre-
Galilee and Judea 800 years ago. and who is even
now doing just as wondrous things My dear MI.
Holt the day OF miracles is not past"
Twelve months ago." he went on, 81 was an
atheist To-day am positive absolutely GER
tain, not only that there Is God, but that there
Is 6o0more powerful than you can conceive OF. !"
he was 50 terribly In earnest that to dispute the
question with him would have been madness.
merely asked him the reason for this now fixed be-
you, he said, but know it,
This conversation impressed me more than can
tell, and more than i could then understand; nor
was the impression less deep that another incident
Impuisiye Irish reporter for the Herald, who had
been in the place for a couple Of days, burst in
upon US while We were chatting, and after shaking
me vigorously by the hand, he turned TO Wynkoop,
evidently with the same purpose. For a couple OF
seconds. however, there was no response on the
part OF the Times mar. i saw him hesitate about
taking the proffered hand. and in that period OF
hesitation conlured up dozen reasons for il.
Then saw him take his left hand from his pocket
and reach IL out 10 OReilly. He excused the ac-
tion by saying that he had cut the little finger Of
his hight hand, and that 1t was very painful His
right hand was stu in his pocket; How strange
thought! Not ten minutes ago had been look
Ing at that right hand attenIively. For some
reason knew not what, my eyes had been drawn
% IL All the time IL was exposed, and 1t had been
exposed frequently since our meeting my gaze had
AZ Intervals been rveted upon it. had noticed
. snss II y, WAS very wnlteEunnaturally white 1T
nails OF the long tapering bOny fingers were hvid.
How odd, l thought, that did not notice the
cut HAD IL been there must surely have OBJ
THAT hand OF yours is in hard luck, wyn-
Sou had pe Sn a1 Oh 69s Sh
tning. How the deuce do you writer"
Wynkoop seemed rather nettled at this remark
- manage II, he said, shortly.
10 was well on to O'Clock In the morning before
OReilly LEFT US, and after that were not long in
getting between the sheets.
I 10
suddenly, with start was trembling from head to
foot with achtn that seemed TO threaten the rend-
thing cold as Ice, and my heart was growing numb
under It's chilling weight For instant lay
Sy memory Tor the moment had deserte ssn me
Where was 1? Istretched my eyes open in an eff
fort 70 prove 70 my own satisfaction that 1 was
wide awake. Then IL all came back to me with a
rush Was At Berryv1le, and strange man,
whom had never seen before that night, was my
bec-feuow. The room was so dark that / could
distinguish nothing, but with the returning men,
DRY came also the same acute SenSibility that told
me that IL was an icy hand that lay upon me.
could feel the long bOny fingers pressing into my
flesh with chilling clutch Never In my Life had
experienced a sensation 50 horrible. For another
m1nute-a minute that seemed like an eternity
lay there unable 70 move. Then gathered all my
resolution and energy ana rose upon my elbow
breast In grip that was death-hke In It's firm.
ness To bring myself TO take hold OF 1t and throw
II from me, could not.
came out for moment from under a cloud, and
sent a stream OF cold blue light In through the
Shadeless window, reveal1ng-O God!
Even now the recollection OF the CHASTITY sight
ehlilS my blood and thrills me with horror as
Wnte-that was In bed with dead man There
beside me, lying upon his left side with his right
arm stretched over me, his right hand grasping
me In It's death-elutch, lay Clement WynkOop to
all appearance as ufeleS3 as any corpse ever saw
The Hood Of moonlight fell full upon his face His
deep-Set eyes were wide open, staring and CLASSY;
his Jaw had dropped, and the paIlor OF death was
upon every feature. I gazed Spell-bound for a
moment. and then q heavy cloud noated over the
moon, and that horrible sight was lost In the
DARKNESS which once more enveioped everything
am not naturally a nervous man, but so sud
Oen was The shock In this case that trembled as
t0ough struck with ague- With terrible effort
SAL up, and, as did so, the hand which had still
Deen eInging 10 me lost Its hold, and heard the
pody Toll over on Its back with a CHASTITY sound
thai set my heart beating even faster than be
lore. Recovering myself as best could crawled
over the dead man and stood upon the fiOor Fol-
a moment stood there totally incapable OF mo
uoE-absoiGtely paralyZed by fear Then / stag
gered 10 the wash-stand. and, with trembling In
gers, found match, struck IL and lighted a can.
de Its feeble, nickertng light only added to The
uncARntneSs OF the scene
FOR a tine could not gain sufficient courage tr
80 DICK ana look at the 0edd man, but at length
DJ CHIT OF actlye restSonlng-that after all death
was only death IN no matter what guise it came
took up the light and returned TO the bed AS
raised the candle and looked at the face
Was mad, or dreaming?
BeWlidtrinent In moment had taken the place
OF fear There lay my bed-feIIow. his ewes AND
mouth closed, breathing regularly and sIeepinp
apparently 40 peaceful as the most healthy OF fu.